Chapter 382 - Winter Clothing Festival
Chapter 382: Winter Clothing Festival
“We are united as wearing one armor!” Dear Ling Ping’an: “On behalf of the Administration Bureau of the Empire Veterans Affairs, we appreciate your contribution to the country’s veterans! The money you have donated has entered the special account of the Federal Empire, for settling and supporting the country’s veterans. You can log on to the official website of the Administration Bureau of the Empire Veterans Affairs to track and find out the purpose and details of your donation…”
“I wish you a happy Winter Clothing Festival, Mr. Ling!”
He looked at the text message that had just been sent to his phone.
Ling Ping’an scratched his head. “Time actually passes so fast…”
Today was October 1st, Winter Clothing Festival.
The tradition of the Ling family was to donate half of the annual land rent and land production to the Administration Bureau of the Empire Veterans Affairs during the Winter Clothing Festival.
This was a rule set by the ancestor who had returned from the Army of Nanzhou.
Ling Ping’an had no objections to this.
Because he was a gentleman.
A gentleman did not speak of profits, so money was a bastard!
But no one cared before, till the generation of Ling Ping’an.
Because the Ling family had been high-level intellectuals for generations!
It was only for Ling Ping’an’s generation that this record was ended because of the disability of mathematics, physics, and chemistry.
As for the high-level intellectuals, they enjoyed the state allowance.
Even if they did not have a single copper coin in their pockets, they could still live comfortably.
Ling Ping’an crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair.
“Winter Clothing Festival…” he thought, “Prepare to buy some paper clothes, paper quilts, and burn them for my parents…”
Winter Clothing Festival was a very important festival in the Federal Empire.
After the founding of the country, the great ancestor decreed that it was the memorial day for the martyrs.
Every year, the government held a grand memorial ceremony.
The people were even more lively.
Every family would go out to worship their ancestors!
Ling Ping’an left as soon as he said so, he stood up and brought his keys.
Then, he waved at his pet, and the little guy jumped up from the counter and jumped in front of him. “Let’s Go!”
Ling Ping’an walked out of the door slowly, pulled down the shutter door, and locked it.
All the shops on the street were basically closed.
Everyone went out to worship their ancestors.
Ling Ping’an picked up his cat and walked to a funeral clothes shop at the end of the street.
“Uncle Yang…” He looked at an old man who was inside the shop with his back turned, the old man who was playing with the paper clothes shouted, “Please prepare a few sets of matching outfits… and a pair of mandarin duck quilts… also, a few bundles of banknotes issued by the Heaven and Earth Bank!”
“Okay!” The old man who was carrying his back turned around and nodded with a smile.
He carried his back and walked to the shelf. Soon, he prepared everything for Ling Ping’an.
Then, he wrapped the paper clothes and the paper quilts into a paper bag and sealed it.
Then, he put a few thick stacks of ten-thousand-yuan banknotes of the heaven and earth bank, which were beautifully printed, into a bag.
“How much is it?” Ling Ping’an asked.
“A hundred!” The old man chuckled.
Ling Ping’an nodded, took out his phone, and finished paying. Then, he carried these things to the roadside and stopped a taxi. “Sir, the Federal Empire’s Cemetery for meritorious personnel of the Jiangcheng City! Thank you!”
The driver laughed when he heard that. “Okay!” She typed on her watch. “The Federal Empire’s Cemetery for meritorious personnel of Jiangcheng City…”
Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something. He turned around and looked at Peace. “Young master, are You a descendant of meritorious personnel?”
Ling Ping’an nodded.
The driver was respectful, “Thank you for your efforts and contributions!”
Ling Ping’an chuckled. Then, he heard the driver say, “Sir, all the organizations in the Jiangcheng City are holding a memorial ceremony at the cemetery today!”
“So many important people have presented!”
“I heard that even the Governor-General of Guangnan and the chairman of Doctor Guangnan’s Council have come!”
“Such a big lineup?” Ling Ping’an raised his eyebrows.
“Exactly!” The driver was indeed a know-it-all. He whispered, “I heard that among the descendants of the meritorious officials in Jiangcheng City, there is a true dragon!”
“These guys are all rushing to be ‘filial sons’… hehe…”
Ling Ping’an also laughed when he heard that.
However, this was how things were.
If you are poor, no one would about you even though you are living in the downtown area;
If you are rich, you would have so many “relatives” even though you are living in deep mountains!
It was the same in the past, so as now, and it would probably be the same in the future.
However, Ling Ping’an became curious and asked, “What kind of big shot did the city produce?”
“I don’t know…” the driver said, “Maybe… A descendant of a hero who entered the Cabinet Minister’s recommendation list after the election?”
“No wonder!” Ling Ping’an nodded.
Cabinet minister…
He was a big shot with a lot of power!
Even if he only entered the nomination list, it was still a big deal.
It was completely understandable that the people below had heard the news and started to burn the stove in advance.
… … ..
The Federal Empire’s Cemetery for meritorious personnel of Jiangcheng City.
A grand memorial was being held in front of the memorial to the Federal Empire’s meritorious martyrs in the middle of the cemetery.
Hundreds of officials, nobles, and representatives of industry and commerce were all wearing plain clothes, taking off their hats and lowering their heads. They faced the tall memorial and worshiped in silence.
An old retired grand secretary stood in front of the monument, trembling as he held a piece of paper and recited the memorial text.
As he recited it in a cadence.
The sound of cannons boomed.
The well-dressed soldiers carried wreaths and presented them to the monument.
Then, they bowed, turned around, and retreated.
He Rourou stood at the end of the crowd with her head lowered. She wore a plain white dress and a small white flower.
Even so, her brilliance was still hard to hide.
Even on such an occasion, there were still people who couldn’t help to turn their heads.
“Who’s that?”
“I heard that She’s from the Lion City…”
“Samboja?”
“Yes…”
Amidst these whispers, He Rourou didn’t move.
She knew that such an occasion was solemn.
Especially for someone like her, she couldn’t make a mistake.
That was because, right in front of the crowd, the general of the Blackguard was also in solemn silence.
He was a true expert.
Even though she was dozens of steps away, Allison could clearly feel the surging psionic power on this general’s body, as vast and profound as the ocean.
Just by feeling it, He Rourou felt as if she was facing a high mountain and looking up at the galaxy.
She felt as if she could only dream of it but could not reach it.
This was the strongest extraordinaire in the world.
The general of the Blackguard.
A peerless powerhouse who could suppress an entire country with just one person!
Feeling his might, He Rourou sighed in her heart. “As expected of his reputation!”
She had already come into contact with two blackguard generals.
The last Situ He made her feel as if she was facing an abyss and could not be peered at.
This one, on the other hand, was as deep as the ocean, immeasurable!
And this was just their usual state.
When they were in a relaxed state.
Once they made a move and went all out…
Even if the consciousness of the gods went all out, they wouldn’t be able to defeat such a human.
Because they were already standing on the dividing line between humans and gods.
“No wonder the Blackguard was able to make this huge country and all the gods in the world stop their hands, and the demons submit to them…”
She sighed.
She lowered her head deeply.
… … … … ..
A taxi soon arrived at the square in front of the cemetery.
Ling Ping’an got off the taxi and paid for the fare with his phone. Then, he carried his pet and walked over with today’s offerings.
The square was filled with all kinds of luxury cars.
Ling Ping’an didn’t recognize any of them, and neither distinguish the fancy car logos.
However, he knew that each car was a limited-edition car, which cost at least a few million dollars.
“Such a small Jiangcheng City… there are so many rich people…” He shook his head and sighed.
As they continued going forward, the parking lot in front of the cemetery was filled with state official cars.
Ling Ping’an walked to the door and took out his identity card. After verifying it, he smoothly entered the cemetery.
Following last year’s path of the memorial, he successfully arrived at the front of his parents’ graves.
As usual, this year, the state workers had already come to worship them.
In front of the graves, there was burned paper ash.
Ling Ping’an placed his pet on the path beside the graves. Then, he picked up a tool that was placed beside the graves and cleaned it.
Then, he sat in front of the graves and looked at the blurry pictures of his parents.
“Dad… Mom…” He toasted the two old men with the wine he brought. “I come to see you again…”
“Today is the Winter Clothing Festival. I was worried that you wouldn’t have new clothes and quilts to wear down there…”
“So I brought some for you…”
He picked up the paper bag and put them in front of the grave. “See… These are the latest couple’s clothes and quilts!”
As he said that, he picked up the lighter and lit the paper bag.
Flames rose, and smoke lingered.
Meow!
The kitten by the side of the road meowed softly.
Ling Ping’an glanced at it and chuckled. Then, he started to nag his parents, “Mom, dad… I failed in my business…”
“It’s been a long time since I had a customer…”
“I’m writing a book… But my grades seem to be just so so…”
For the promotion last time, the collection rate of his book had just risen by less than 800.
This week, he received zero.
He understood that the operation of website definitely had to be effective.
He was used to it.
After all, writing a book was his hobby.
In front of his parents’ graves, he became very talkative, “In two weeks, I have to go to the Imperial Capital…”
“You know… I cannot recognize faces well … I really can’t differentiate between beauty and ugliness…”
“But… It’s being unfilial to have no children!”
“If it really doesn’t work out, I might just make some compromises!”
There were many things that cannot meet your expectations in life.
Even the famous poets Li Bai and Tao Yuanming, whom Ling Ping’an admired, were the same.
Mr. Li was degage, but he still had to be someone’s advisor. He also could not help but feel a headache for his poor wallet.
Tao Yuanming did not want to knuckle under the power, but he still had to face the problem of maintaining daily expenses.
How could Ling Ping’an be an exception?
He was no exception.
He knew this very well.
After all, to live in the secular world, one had to be restricted by the secular world.
Fortunately, materialists never worried about these things, and they would not complain about these things.
Materialists would actively and optimistically face these problems and think of ways to solve them.
Ling Ping’an picked up his wine glass and gave a toast to his parents. “Today is the Winter Clothing Festival. Put on your new clothes and go out for a walk…”
“Okay…”
“I’ve also prepared some dating funds for you!”
He picked up the stacks of banknotes from the Heaven and Earth bank and lit them up with a lighter.
The hell banknotes slowly burned, and the breeze blew, making them burn even more thoroughly.
After burning the notes, Ling Pingan’s mission was completed.
He didn’t believe in ghosts or gods.
Coming here to worship was purely because of the tradition and culture.
As Confucius said: When you worship ghosts and gods, remember to keep a distance.
It was inferior to keep very close to some traditions but disrespectful to be indifferent to them.
It was necessary to maintain a proper distance.
“Let’s Go!” Ling Ping’an greeted his pet.
The little guy immediately followed its master’s footsteps.
Meow!
It ran to the front happily.
Ling Ping’an smiled.
The man and the cat soon walked out of the cemetery. He went to the door and saw that there was no car, so he took out his phone and called an online car-hailing service.
Carrying his cat, he quietly squatted on a waiting seat in front of the parking lot and waited.
This waiting seat did not have a backrest.
Therefore, he gently leaned against a small car that was listening behind him.
His cat was very sensible, lying in his arms and rubbing against his embrace.
It seemed to be a little afraid of the cold.
..
Lu Bao took the key and walked out of the cemetery.
He let out a long breath.
“The old master asked me to come to such a place to enjoy the cold wind… I really don’t know what he was thinking…”
“I don’t want to come here again!”
There was nothing good about the memorial ceremony.
Everyone stupidly stood there.
The only thing that could be considered interesting was that there was an unbelievably beautiful woman in the memorial crowd.
Thinking of that woman, Lu Bao sighed.
“Damn it! Such a beautiful woman is actually a rich woman!” He became depressed.
To him, this was undoubtedly bad news, because it meant that he might not even be able to touch her.
After all, he had learned how to spend money all these years.
As for other skills?
I’m really sorry!
Thinking of this, he became furious.
Because he could imagine that such a woman would definitely fall into the hands of those high-ranking officials and dignitaries.
He thought about that cold-eyed and tall woman, who was actually under someone else.
He became angrier soon.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” He cursed and took out his car keys.
He pressed the button.
Beep Beep! Beep Beep!
A luxury car in front of the parking lot lit up.
He walked over, opened the car door, and sat in the driver’s seat.
“I need to find a place to vent my anger!” He thought, “I heard that a group of red-haired ghost girls recently came to the Autumn Edge Villa close to the center of the city…”
“One of them seems coming from a broken noble family…”
He licked his lips.
The red-haired girls from the land of Qin, were once considered as the consumption of commoners in the empire’s demimonde.
But during recent years, with the development of the animation and gaming industries, these women, who were rarely visited by the upper class, slowly became popular.
Thinking of this, his heart was itching, so he stepped on the accelerator.
Bang!
The front of the car hit a waiting seat in front.
There seemed to be another person sitting on that seat?
Lu Bao was slightly stunned. After thinking for a moment, he still stopped the car.
After all, this was a cemetery for meritorious personnel. Who knew how many cameras there were.
One could not run away.
Not to mention a rich second generation like him.
Even the offspring of a powerful aristocrat could not run away.
It would definitely be disastrous if he ran away!
No matter how much money there was, it was useless. He had to obediently go to jail.
“How unlucky!” He grumbled.
He could only pull out the keys, open the car door, and take out his wallet at the same time.
Fortunately, he had money, a lot of money!
This was a good thing!
In particular, he had already seen that the person who had been hit by his car had already stood up.
He seemed to be fine, but there was a bit of dust on his body.
Lu Bao laughed.
“Poor!” He thought.
The clothes of this guy did not even cost 200 dollars. Even the reward he had given to the Lord Tortoise of the demimonde was more than this.
However, he still revealed a hypocritical smile on his face.
The three hundred years of the Federal Empire had taught these young masters something.
Then, this matter must be something that could be solved with money. It was best not to think of other ideas.
Therefore, he walked over.
“Are you alright?” He asked.
The man raised his head, looked at the thin road, and shook his head. “I’m fine…”
“But…” he said, “Be careful while driving!”
“Be careful of public safety!”
Hearing this, Lu Bao frowned.
F*ck!
He’s actually putting on airs in front of me?
He took out his wallet, took out a stack of hundred-dollar bills, and threw them over.
One by one, he threw the bills onto the other his body.
“How dare you to put on airs?” Lu Bao thought, “Kneel down before me!”
He really liked this kind of scene.
He really liked watching others kneel down in front of money and pick up the banknotes one by one.
That made him feel superior to others!
And this person…
This young man would definitely not be an exception!
After all, the banknotes he had were several thousand!
That was equivalent to his monthly salary, right?
But, this little money was only enough for him to pour a glass of wine for beauty at the HP Bar.
This was the difference!
The difference in status!
The difference in life!
This was the absolute difference in resources!
Hence, Lu Bao curled his lips slightly and said with a smile, “Pick it up!”
“This is my compensation for you…”
He liked this.
This made him feel happy!
There was nothing that made him happier than throwing money at someone.
However, the other party did not seem to understand.
He frowned and patted the dust off his body. He asked doubtfully, “Sir…”
“Have you ever heard of a saying…”
“A gentleman does not eat what is given to him!”
He was very, very serious.
Lu Bao laughed. “Wow! You’re still a gentleman?”
“But are you… worthy of being a ‘gentleman’?”
“A pauper is not qualified to be a gentleman!”
This was the truth!
It was a truth that had existed since ancient times!
A gentleman was like comparing notes, like pondering.
That was a beautiful piece of jade!
Since when were commoners and hardworking people worthy of being called a gentleman?
Those who were able to be a gentleman, be it ancient times or present times, were all people who were wealthy, held the power of the world in their hands, and were drunk on the knees of beauties!
Only such a figure was called a gentleman!
As for the person in front of him…
Cheap clothes, cheap glasses, cheap shoes, cheap buzz cut…
emm…
Only the cat in his arms could be valuable!
Cat?
He laughed.
“Sell your cat to me!”
He took out his checkbook. “Name your price!”
He wanted to use his money to make this poor person understand what it meant to be a rich man.
When he gave in, got down on his knees, and was defeated by the power of money, he was going to take away his hope.